I’m a Have It All virgin

[Gunther1]

I got a heck of a deal for HIA on one of my upcoming cruises. It will be the first time I buy it.  As it’s a free cruise (single room, no less), I decided to try it.

I know that HIA covers some drinks that aren’t listed on the bar menu, such as an amaretto sour.

 

Does anybody know if a glass of champagne is included…..and for that matter, if bars even HAVE champagne ?

 

( shows how much of a drinker that I am not :))

[julia]

Yes, all the bars will carry champagne, but with the $11 price on you HIA, your choices may be limited to sparkling wine or prosecco.  You can always order something above the $11, and just pay the difference.  Enjoy!

[CruiserBruce]

56 minutes ago, julia said:

Yes, all the bars will carry champagne, but with the $11 price on you HIA, your choices may be limited to sparkling wine or prosecco.  You can always order something above the $11, and just pay the difference.  Enjoy!

Chateau St Michele sparkling wine is $11. Veuve Clicquot was $18, I understand it is now $28.

 

Lets not get into the technical issues of what is champagne, and what is not.

[Hlitner]

Real Champagne is not included in the HIA package.  We used to think that none of the mass market cruise lines included real champagne (which only comes from the Champagne area of France) but were recently surprised to find decent French Champagne included in the Princess Cruise lines Premiere Package (which includes any drink up to $20 per glass).  What we found interesting about the Princess package was that it also included Remy Martin XO (priced at $20 per glass) which is a first for us on any cruise line.  Given the cost of a bottle of Remy XO, this was a true steal.

 

Most of the luxury lines and ship within a ship schemes do include unlimited French Champagne.  For example, Seabourn includes Moutaudon Champagne and MSC's Yacht Club has Nicolas Feuillate.  But the best Champagne deal is on the new Explora Journeys cruise line which includes an entire range of products from Moet and Chandon.  

 

Hank

[Mary229]

I want to know what the deal was😊

[julia]

44 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

 

Lets not get into the technical issues of what is champagne, and what is not.

Which is PRECISELY what I did NOT do!!

[Sir PMP]

55 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Chateau St Michele sparkling wine is $11. Veuve Clicquot was $18, I understand it is now $28.

 

Lets not get into the technical issues of what is champagne, and what is not.

What is Champagne?

[albingirl]

3 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

What is Champagne?

Gives me a headache.  You couldn't pay me to have a glass, or ahem, stem.

[Sir PMP]

45 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Real Champagne is not included in the HIA package.  We used to think that none of the mass market cruise lines included real champagne (which only comes from the Champagne area of France) but were recently surprised to find decent French Champagne included in the Princess Cruise lines Premiere Package (which includes any drink up to $20 per glass).  What we found interesting about the Princess package was that it also included Remy Martin XO (priced at $20 per glass) which is a first for us on any cruise line.  Given the cost of a bottle of Remy XO, this was a true steal.

 

Most of the luxury lines and ship within a ship schemes do include unlimited French Champagne.  For example, Seabourn includes Moutaudon Champagne and MSC's Yacht Club has Nicolas Feuillate.  But the best Champagne deal is on the new Explora Journeys cruise line which includes an entire range of products from Moet and Chandon.  

 

Hank

You know that on Princess the 'cognac' arrives in an unmarked vat and, then they fill that into Remy or Napoleon bottles..

[Heidi13]

52 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Real Champagne is not included in the HIA package.  We used to think that none of the mass market cruise lines included real champagne (which only comes from the Champagne area of France) but were recently surprised to find decent French Champagne included in the Princess Cruise lines Premiere Package (which includes any drink up to $20 per glass).  What we found interesting about the Princess package was that it also included Remy Martin XO (priced at $20 per glass) which is a first for us on any cruise line.  Given the cost of a bottle of Remy XO, this was a true steal.

 

 

Don't forget the cruise lines aren't paying shore based retail or the highly inflated airport duty free prices. The cruise lines are purchasing alcohol at real duty free pricing.

 

At $20/glass, each glass probably pays for the bottle of Remy XO.

[Heidi13]

3 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

You know that on Princess the 'cognac' arrives in an unmarked vat and, then they fill that into Remy or Napoleon bottles..

 

On the original ships, they also had bulk wine tanks - 1 for white and 1 for red.😁

[Hlitner]

5 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Don't forget the cruise lines aren't paying shore based retail or the highly inflated airport duty free prices. The cruise lines are purchasing alcohol at real duty free pricing.

 

At $20/glass, each glass probably pays for the bottle of Remy XO.

Yes, and senior officers on cruise ships work for $4.99 an hour 🙂

 

 

[Bill B]

44 minutes ago, Sir PMP said:

You know that on Princess the 'cognac' arrives in an unmarked vat and, then they fill that into Remy or Napoleon bottles..

 

I got a free glass of turpentine with bubbles at a Champagne Art Auction on Princess.

[Heidi13]

58 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Yes, and senior officers on cruise ships work for $4.99 an hour 🙂

 

 

 

Only officers on US Dollar contracts, as they make considerably less than those on UK Sterling & Euro contracts.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Bill B said:

 

I got a free glass of turpentine with bubbles at a Champagne Art Auction on Princess.

Now you are insulting turpentine :).  I think turpentine costs more than the stuff they have at the art auctions (including much of the art).

 

Hank

[Bill B]

21 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Now you are insulting turpentine :).  I think turpentine costs more than the stuff they have at the art auctions (including much of the art).

 

Hank

 

What! You don't like anthropomorphic olives and fairytale cottages in sylvan glades? 🤣